43. Storm Clouds Over Luoyang (4)
43. Storm Clouds Over Luoyang (4)
The relocation to Chang'an was officially proclaimed.
Officials like Yang Biao and Huang Wan objected, arguing that there was no precedent for a powerful official to move the capital at their own whim, but Dong Zhuo dismissed Yang Biao and Huang Wan, trampling their voices of dissent.
And he appointed Yang Yi as the Governor of Henan.
The hook-nosed man flaunted Dong Zhuo's trust, revealing his ambition to rule Luoyang on behalf of the Emperor and Chancellor of State Dong Zhuo.
"Although the capital is being moved to Chang'an, I, Yang Yi, the Governor of Henan, will dedicate my life to Luoyang, which holds the long and storied history of the Han Dynasty."
He spoke glibly in front of the officials.
But in reality, he was nothing more than a tax collector, wringing out massive taxes from Luoyang to fund the construction of the imperial palace and civil engineering projects in Chang'an.
He was squeezing the lifeblood out of the common people to secure funds.
He raised taxes exorbitantly and increased the forced labor of the people to a cruel degree. He slapped taxes on every item in the market and imposed miscellaneous levies, including transit taxes, on all merchants and commoners entering or leaving Luoyang and its vicinity.
"Rest assured, for I shall protect Luoyang."
General of the Left Dong Min rose to the position of General of Chariots and Cavalry.
This meant that by leveraging his status as Dong Zhuo's younger brother, he had become the second-in-command of the regime, and it also meant he would oversee all the generals stationed at the gates of Luoyang.
It was likely a personnel measure aimed at Lee Seong-hwi.
Dong Min had always been suspicious of him, and for that reason, Dong Min was put in charge of the Inspector of the Luoyang garrison to monitor Lee Seong-hwi more thoroughly. Furthermore, he was assigned Zhang Ji, Li Meng, and Wang Fang as his lieutenants.
Although Dong Min knew nothing of military strategy, he was quick-witted when it came to doubting and keeping a wary eye on others.
"How could I neglect Luoyang? The situation is chaotic, and with rebels swarming in Guandong, we are moving the capital to Chang'an, but I, Dong Zhuo, will never treat Luoyang, the long-standing capital of the Han Dynasty, with neglect."
Dong Zhuo made this statement at a gathering of all the court officials.
Everyone knew that his words were bullshit.
Had he not said he would extract all the costs for the massive imperial palace construction and large-scale civil engineering projects to be carried out in Chang'an from Luoyang?
It was no different from saying he would drain all the nutrients to let Luoyang wither and die, all to fatten up the new capital, Chang'an.
"I killed Grand Tutor Yuan Wei and Grand Minister of Ceremonies Yuan Ji, and wiped out the prestigious Yuan Clan of Runan, who held the title of Four Generations and Three Excellencies! Who dares to challenge my rule? The relocation to Chang'an was decided after my careful consideration for the sake of the Han Dynasty, so you all should just obey quietly!"
After Yuan Shao, the Prefect of Bohai, raised an army, Dong Zhuo brought up the past incident of exterminating the prestigious Yuan Clan of Runan in Luoyang, threatening that he would do the same to anyone who dared to challenge him.
Then, the voices of opposition gradually diminished.
While suppressing the powerful local clans and commoners who opposed the relocation to Chang'an with military force, he intimidated the court officials and ordered them to hasten the move to Chang'an.
"Death to those who do not obey the imperial court!"
"It has already been decided by imperial decree! It is not for the likes of you to raise your voices!"
The process of the relocation was carried out very violently.
There were even Dong Zhuo army generals who took this opportunity to make money, collecting separate taxes from the court officials who were to move to Chang'an and charging transit fees at the gates leading to Chang'an, exploiting those trying to move to the new capital.
Let's milk this for all it's worth while we have the chance.
As expected of generals serving a dark-hearted ruler, they were also deeply engrossed in the fun of scraping together wealth.
'I should properly line my pockets since I'm leaving anyway.'
'I'll be able to live in luxury in Chang'an for the rest of my life.'
The head and the tail were rotting through and through.
The Dong Zhuo army had begun to rot the moment they entered Luoyang, and now that the relocation to Chang'an had been decided, that corruption had reached its peak.
Corruption and debauchery always invite resistance.
Already, the flames of resistance were rising from within.
A meeting was held at the Lu Bu army camp.
Everyone had gathered because of the new military reorganization announced along with the relocation to Chang'an.
"I'm being sent to Sishui Pass."
Lee Seong-hwi opened his mouth.
Through this military reorganization, he had been quickly promoted from General of the Feathered Forest to General of the Right and Xingyang Commandant, but he was placed in a position where his every move would be monitored by Dong Min, the General of Chariots and Cavalry who was inspecting the Luoyang army.
Literally a watchdog.
His rank was flashy, but in reality, he was in a position where he had no choice but to be dragged around by Dong Min, who had become his superior.
'Li Ru, that bastard, pulled a dirty trick.'
Of course, it was something he had expected.
Was he not the guy who had raised the banner of rebellion against the Dong Zhuo army several times? It was only natural that they would doubt and doubt him again.
"I am going to Henei Commandery."
"Colonel Song Xian is going to Hongnong Commandery, I am going to Yangren, and General Gao Shun is assigned to the garrison at Hangu Pass."
The Lu Bu army warriors were all being scattered.
The Prime Minister's Office claimed it was "a measure to place excellent warriors in the right positions," but in reality, it meant they intended to dismantle the Lu Bu army.
You guys are too dangerous.
You are helpful in wartime, but no one knows how you will act in peacetime.
Perhaps holding a grudge over the killing of Dong Zhuo's soldiers in Luoyang, they openly revealed their scheme to divide the Lu Bu army.
"Bong-seon-nim and I are going to Yangcheng."
Lu Bu and Zhang Liao were going to Yangcheng.
Yangcheng was the region where they had fought against Sun Jian's army, and it was also relatively close to Nanyang Commandery in Jing Province, where the Yuan Shu army, which had Sun Jian under its command, was stationed.
It was to keep the Yuan Shu army, which was close to Luoyang, in check.
It meant that Dong Zhuo still considered Sun Jian a dangerous figure, and it was also a measure to separate their leader, Lu Bu, from Luoyang.
"We've been properly had. Hey, you man who calls yourself the adjutant of the Unrivaled Under Heaven. Did you expect this to happen?"
Lu Bu asked.
At those words, Lee Seong-hwi shrugged his shoulders.
"Halfway. I knew I would be assigned to Sishui Pass, but I didn't know I would be appointed as the Xingyang Commandant."
He had been put in command of the Sishui Pass front.
Lee Seong-hwi had thought about colluding with the warlords of the Central Plains to recover Luoyang, but that was like a gamble that was hard to choose rashly.
"So, what's next?"
"We have to wait for Dong Zhuo to let his guard down. He's a guy with the ambition to become Emperor someday. There will definitely... come a time when he lets his guard down. The day he declares he will become Emperor and the hearts of the people under heaven boil over, that will be the day to execute Dong Zhuo."
Dong Zhuo's ambition does not stop at Chancellor of State.
Even though he had risen to the position of Chancellor of State, the highest position under heaven, he, who harbored the ambition for the Dong clan to ascend to the throne, would want to claim a new dynasty and receive abdication from the current Emperor, Liu Xie.
We cannot strike Dong Zhuo.
Not only is Dong Zhuo always wary of us, but there is someone else on the inside who will unfold the scheme to cut off Dong Zhuo's breath.
'Minister of Education Wang Yun.'
The one to drive the wedge first is Wang Yun.
Dong Zhuo favored Wang Yun, who was obedient to him, and Wang Yun was aware that Dong Zhuo trusted him.
Therefore, he must know.
That he is the only one in the world who can deceive the traitor of the age and cut off his breath.
"With General of Chariots and Cavalry Dong Min, and Li Meng and Wang Fang next to him... and even Zhang Ji attached, there isn't much we can do as we are now."
They were being intensively kept in check by Dong Zhuo.
Moving rashly in the current situation was something that could give Dong Min a handle on them.
'But it won't be long. The time will come when you walk into the trap yourself.'
After the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition disbanded,
Cao Cao of Chenliu began to focus on expanding his power.
First, after absorbing the remnants of Liu Dai, who had been killed in action by the Yellow Turban Rebels who raided Yan Province, and subsequently absorbing the troops of the Chancellor of Jibei, Bao Xin, she grew into a warlord who unified Yan Province.
"Yan Province is now the Cao Cao army's."
Chen Gong held Cao Cao's commander's flag.
Then, the powerful clans of Yan Province welcomed the Cao Cao army with open arms and cheers.
"To think she would become a warlord by defeating the very Yellow Turban Rebels that threatened her power. I have to give it to her, she's one bold heroine."
Xiahou Dun burst into a hearty laugh.
At his brother's words, Xiahou Yuan also nodded, praising Cao Cao as a filial and brave leader.
She is indeed an outstanding figure worthy of being our lord.
A boldness and leadership unbelievable for a woman of small stature. She had become the number one warlord of Yan Province by subjugating the very warlords and powerful clans who had looked down on her for being a woman.
"This is all thanks to me providing the military funds."
"Sister, try to read the room."
As Cao Hong boasted that it was thanks to her, Cao Ren, who was next to her, interjected quietly.
The two women looked at Cao Cao.
They generally had appearances that greatly resembled Cao Cao. The woman wearing a golden helmet and flashy clothes was Cao Hong. And the woman wearing rugged armor was Cao Ren.
They were Cao Cao's cousins, and at the same time as being generals in the Cao Cao army, they were close aides who served Cao Cao as their lord.
"But there are still many Yellow Turban Rebels, and Yan Province is still dangerous. If we don't repel them all, the favorable front could be overturned at any time."
A man with a slender build said.
He was a son of the Yingchuan Xun Clan, and he had a unique career of leaving Yuan Shao and enlisting in the Cao Cao army when Cao Cao raised an army in Yan Province.
A person who left a large corporation to come to a small-to-medium enterprise.
If he had seen Xun Yu, Lee Seong-hwi would have called him a weirdo among weirdos, but would have praised him as the person who led a small-to-medium enterprise to defeat a large corporation and make it the nation's top group.
"But sister."
"Why?"
"It's about our sister Mengde. I heard she has someone she likes, who could it be? The maids said they saw her sighing while looking out the window. They said it was clearly the eyes of a woman in love."
"My god. Even a sister like that does things like love."
Cao Hong expressed her shock.
That her sister, who had a colder and more level-headed personality than anyone else, had fallen in love with someone. She had thought that even if the world collapsed, that would never happen.
"It's something I want to know even if I have to unleash all the household servants. She's been too busy since she raised the army to have any time to spare, so it can't be that. Is it from when she was in Luoyang?"
Finding out is not difficult.
It is just a matter of finding and asking the military officers who served in Luoyang.
Since many military officers who were angry at his tyranny had returned to their hometowns after Dong Zhuo took power, they just needed to track them down and find out about the man sister Cao Cao loved.
"Now is not the time for that."
"I know, of course I know. I was just saying it because I was curious."
Cao Ren poked her with her elbow.
At that, Cao Hong nodded her head saying she understood, but with a mischievous expression like a little devil, she seemed full of thoughts of putting the plan into action right away.
The Cao Cao army had unified Yan Province.
By absorbing the forces of the Inspector of Yanzhou, Liu Dai, and the Chancellor of Jibei, Bao Xin, they also possessed a large army.
'Sister is a heroine who will become an Overlord, surely that man must also be an outstanding talent? Who could it be, surely not that distasteful young master Yuan Shu. Is it a general under Yuan Shao...?'
She didn't even think it was under Dong Zhuo.
Because she asserted that her respected sister could never fall in love with a subordinate of such a scoundrel. She declared that it was something that could not happen even if the world ended.
"I heard Dong Zhuo is leaving for Chang'an soon?"
"To think he's running away to Chang'an even after winning the war, it's not even funny."
A guy who doesn't even have the courage to fight fair and square.
At the sight of Dong Zhuo fleeing west for his own safety and his Wine Pool and Meat Forest, Cao Ren and Cao Hong expressed their contempt and revealed their hatred for the Dong Zhuo army.
"I heard a new general of the Dong Zhuo army is coming to Xingyang, which isn't far from Chenliu where we are."
"No matter who it is, sister won't lose."
Xingyang, and Zhongmou County.
That region, located between Chenliu in Yan Province and Luoyang, is under the jurisdiction of the Xingyang Commandant, which includes Sishui Pass.
A general newly appointed as the Xingyang Commandant is taking up the post.
The Cao Cao army had already obtained that news.
Since it was possible that they might inflict harm on the Cao Cao army, which was growing rapidly in Yan Province, the Cao Cao army generals were watching the region of the Xingyang Commandant with keen attention.